Envelopes with Russian Navy's tender applications were opened

15.11.2010 Envelopes with tender applications for Russian Navy's tender for helicopter carrier have been opened, reports the Central Navy Portal referring to unaccredited sources.

As long as the tender is closed, the information about participants is not promulgated. However, most likely they are some certain foreign companies including French DCNS (with Mistral class amphibious assault landing ship), Spanish Navantia (with Juan Carlos I class amphibious assault ship), South Korean STX (with Dokdo class helicopter carrier), and German TKMS (probably, with project MDH200), wrote Vedomosti today.

The probability that Mistral would win the tender is pretty high. This variant has been repeatedly supported by top-ranking officials in Russian defense ministry.

According to information available to the Central Navy portal, French experts visited Baltiysky Zavod in order to assess whether the shipyard is capable to build a ship of such class, and concluded that the mentioned yard is the most suitable site to build landing ships in Russia. French partners afforded technical documentation of Mistral class ship to the shipyard to be studied by Russian experts.

We recall that according to the initial tender requirements, Russia exports two amphibious assault landing ships, and builds other two heli-carriers at domestic yards under transferred technology. However, Russian defense minister Anatoly Serdiukov said afterwards that other two ships could not be constructed in Russia due to lack of financing.